Over 102 mn cyber attacks targeted Indian users in Q2: Report

More than 102.8 million cyber attacks targetted users in India in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, a new report revealed on 5 September.

According to global cybersecurity solutions provider Quick Heal, laptops and PCs were at high risk, with over 1 million cyber threats being detected daily. 

The threat breakdown includes worms at 9.80 per cent, potentially unwanted applications at 7.03 per cent, exploits at 6.90 per cent, cryptojacking at 2.12 per cent, ransomware at 0.32 per cent, adware at 0.84 per cent, infectors at 35.15 per cent and trojans at 37.8 per cent.

“There is an alarming surge of over 102.8 million cyber threats in India during the second quarter of 2023. These staggering numbers underscore the urgency of proactive cybersecurity measures”, said Dr Sanjay Katkar, joint managing director, Quick Heal Technologies Limited.

With 7.08 million cyber attacks, Kolkata topped the list of affected cities, according to the report.

The other most-affected cities were:

• Mumbai (7 million)

• Pune (5.69 million)

• New Delhi (5.56 million)

• Bengaluru (4.86 million)

• Surat (4.16 million)

• Hyderabad (3.50 million)

• Ahmedabad (3.45 million)

• Chennai (2.36 million)

• and Gurugram (2.01 million)

The cybersecurity experts suggested some tips to deal with such incidents, such as:

• being vigilant regarding suspicious emails and apps disguising cyber threats

• regularly updating software to enhance defences against evolving threats

• using strong and unique passwords to protect digital assets

• and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for an additional layer of security to safeguard sensitive information online.